Keepsake of the Stars
by Dragon MoonX
Summary: An eight piece collection focusing on the life of Delphini Riddle, beginning with her conception and continuing as she grows and interacts with members of her family. Now contains a bonus chapter between five and seven.
1. Chapter 1

**Keepsake of the Stars**

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters, names and locations are property of J.K. Rowling. I own nothing that you recognize.

Written for Caesar's Palace Shipping Week

 _Day 1 - whisper_

 _Pairing - Bellatrix/Voldemort_

She wants to be loved, to be held and caressed, to feel his pale fingers tangling in her hair. His touch makes her shiver, and when he speaks he communicates in Parseltongue. His language is exotic and pure, the very essence of Salazar Slytherin himself. She doesn't know what he's trying to say, nor does she care, because his actions speak volumes to her.

When he holds her, when he whispers in her ear, she goes limp in his arms. She breathes in, slowly, a smile graces the corners of her lips, leaning back as he trails kisses down her neck. He knows her weaknesses, he knows how to take control of her. His voice is its own magic, no incantations required. The low, hissing sounds penetrate the very depths of her heart, reaching out and sending waves of pleasure down her spine, her nerves tingling with lustful anticipation.

When she embraces him, when she listens to him speak, she is reaching for the heavens, for a star that is brighter than her own. She is reaching for Rasalhague, a star located in Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer. He was born from the stars, and when their child is born she will inherit his gift. The serpents will answer when she speaks, her whispers luring them in. She will rise on wings of green and black, the Augurey, and brand her followers with a mark mirrors her own. This precious child will be known by many names, but no matter what they call her, she will always be the keepsake of the stars.


	2. Chapter 2

_Day 2 - shout_

 _Pairing - Bellatrix/Voldemort_

He likes it when she screams, her wild cries echoing off the walls as she leaps up onto the table, flicks her wand, and one by one the windows shatter. Anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the explosion is sliced to ribbons, bleeding from more than a dozen wounds as rivulets of blood spill onto the floor. She is still shouting over the terrified screams that rise and meet the agonized moans, filling the air with sounds of absolute misery and despair.

She has no self control, no restraint as she turns on them in an instant and sends them sprawling on the floor. A smile twists his pale features as he watches them twitching and writhing, their bodies contorting into hideous, unnatural positions. Their backs arch, foam dribbles from their lips. He's sure the one on the left has gone into some sort of seizure, and yet she continues to torture them.

Her movements form a dance as she turns, trailing bloody footprints in her wake. Her fingers smear the wall, and she smiles at him, a smile that fades in an instant as she doubles over. She tries to focus, tries to remember how to breathe, the world blurring before her eyes as she crumbles to the floor.

He's not the kind of man that says I love you, that kneels beside her and holds her hand, helping her through the pain. She knows that, her eyes filling with tears as her sister helps her off the floor. She reaches for his hand, only to lose sight of him as she is carried out of the room.

The next time she screams it is as their child enters the world. This child, who is like her parents in many ways, will delight in the suffering of others. She will be lulled to sleep by the distant cries, hearing music in the voices that arise in the night. They will be the lullaby her mother uses to sing her to sleep, a thousand voices singing in unison. When she is older, she will wave her wand like she is conducting an orchestra, making them sing for her, while her mother looks on with pride.


	3. Chapter 3

_Day 3 - cry_

 _Pairing - Bellatrix/Delphini_

The Augurey weeps, held in her mother's embrace, facing the stars above. Her precious babe, a fledgling, still so small and delicate. She cries to the heavens above, to the stars that gave her her name, waking her mother when it is barely one in the morning.

Bellatrix sighed and stepped out onto the balcony, the warm summer winds tugging on her dark curls. She knows that one day this child will be great. This child that captures the essence of ocean, harnessing the watery colors that kissed her hair with streaks of pale blue. She will accomplish much, all in the name of her father, as she rises from the crashing waves to smite all who oppose her, drowning them in an endless sea.

She holds the infant against her chest, protecting the little one from harm. Her master is quite capable of taking care of himself, but the child is helpless. She needs her mother to care for her, and if someone so much as looks at her, that would be enough for her mother to kill, for they mustn't lay eyes on her precious child. Not yet. Delphini must be kept a secret until the time comes when she is ready to enter the world and teach them the true meaning of fear.


	4. Chapter 4

_Day 4 - announce_

 _Pairing - Draco/Delphini_

They couldn't send out birth announcements because she was Lord Voldemort's child, nor could they raise her like a normal child and allow babysitters to watch over her. They could only choose from close family members when they needed someone to watch her, and even they weren't always available due to Lucius having a job and Draco being in school.

Voldemort allowed her to spend time caring for the baby, and Narcissa helped the inexperienced mother look after the child , but there eventually came a day when neither one of them was around to watch the baby. And so Draco was given the job of looking after Delphini.

She made the announcement early one morning when Draco was sitting at the table in the dining room. The boy had come home for Easter vacation, and was just reaching for the bottle of syrup when his aunt plopped the child in his lap, told him he was going to have to look after Delphini for a while, smiled, patted him on the head like a was a darling five year old, and headed out the door.

"Take good care of her, Draco," said Bellatrix as she was walking out the door. "Though I should probably warn you that she hasn't been feeling well lately. She's prone to colic and tummy bugs. But Lucius should have something to fix her right up when he gets home."

Draco stared at the woman in disbelief as she closed the door in his face. He didn't know how to look after a baby. He was a Malfoy, which meant that he had house elves do everything for him. Or he did until Harry Potter tricked his father into freeing Dobby.

He looked at the bag his aunt left on the table, his arm around the sleeping infant as he unbuttoned the bag and started sifting through its contents. There were bottles, diapers, jars of baby food, and a stuffed bird that looked like an augurey. Draco picked up the plush augurey and heard something rattle inside of it. He gave the toy a shake and it let out a series of loud, mournful chirps that woke the baby in his arms.

"Oh no! No, no please don't start crying," he said as Delphini's eyes filled with tears. He practically begged her not to cry, but within a matter of seconds the child started sobbing like there was no tomorrow.

Draco glanced at the sad looking bird and dropped it in the baby bag. "No wonder you're crying if that's the kind of toys your mum buys for you." He tried bouncing the child on his lap, then holding her and gently rocking her back and forth. "Don't tell me you want that ugly bird." Draco reached for the green and black bird, and shook the sad looking thing a few times to see if that would cheer her up, but Delphini kept right on crying.

He started pacing the floor with the crying infant held against his chest, her chin resting on his shoulder as he rubbed her back. If she was sick, or having another bought of colic, he had no idea how to treat her. Bellatrix said his father could help, but Lucius wasn't home yet.

There was a low gurgling noise, and for a brief moment the child stopped crying. Draco looked at her, hoping she might quiet down, when suddenly the gurgling got louder and Delphini's diaper exploded. That was the only word he could find to describe what had happened. It exploded, plain and simple.

He held the infant at arm's length, trying to distance himself from the rancid mess that was slowly seeping from her diaper. Not that it helped much, seeing as how most of it has spilled down the front of his nice clean shirt. The infant sniffled and whimpered, her lip quivering as she looked at him with red rimmed eyes. She was clearly asking for help, but there was no way Draco was going to touch her dirty diaper.

Fortunately for him there were other options, magical options. Draco held his breath, drew his wand and vanished the soiled remains of her diaper along with the excrement on his shirt. With a few quick flicks of his wand he had her clean and in a fresh diaper, and he'd done it all without laying a hand on the child.

Delphini was quieter now that she'd gotten that out of her system. Still, he didn't think it would hurt to have his father look her over and give her something when he came home from work.

Draco sat down at the kitchen table with Delphini dozing off in his arms. "So that's what babies do. They wake up for five minutes, cry, poop and go back to sleep. But still, you aren't as bad as I thought you would be. At least you've got my mother's blond hair. Not sure where the blue came from, though. Maybe it's your mother's orneriness coming out of you."


	5. Chapter 5

_Day 5 - answer_

 _Pairing - Bellatrix/Delphini_

Children were always asking questions. They asked why is the sky blue, why is there nighttime, why do dogs bark, and in Delphini's case, why doesn't daddy have a nose.

The first time she asked this question Bellatrix nearly had a heart attack from shock.

"Hush now! You can't just say things like that in front of your father." She scooped the two year old up in her arms, a nervous laugh escaping her lips as she backed away from her master. "Forgive her, my lord. She's just a child. She doesn't know any better."

Voldemort had the look of kill in his eyes as he glared at her. "Then you would do well to teach her some respect, Bella," he hissed in a threatening tone.

"Yes, my lord." Bellatrix took the child and quickly exited the room.

Delphini giggled as her mother sat her down in a plush, overstuffed armchair in front of the fireplace. For some reason she found this rather amusing.

Bellatrix knelt down in front of her daughter. "Listen to me, Delphi. Your father is a very powerful wizard. He is the greatest, most powerful wizard that ever lived. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh." Delphini nodded.

"Right. Well, the answer is quite simple, darling. You see your father had to sacrifice many things in order to get to where he is now, his nose being one of them."

"Is that why he don't gots no hair either?"

Bellatrix sighed. No one ever said that being a mother was easy, and trying to explain her master's unusual features was a challenge. But Delphini was an intelligent little girl. She seemed to grasp the concept of giving something up in exchange for something else. Now if only Bellatrix could teach her daughter to keep her mouth shut about Voldemort's missing appendages.


	6. Chapter 6

_Bonus chapter_

She remembered them fondly as she sat listening to the bird's mournful wails. Though her memories are scattered and few, she'd never forget the nights her mother told her stories of the timeless legends that graced the night skies. And yet she couldn't find comfort in her mother's embrace, her fears getting the better of her when she started hearing rumors about the war.

Bellatrix held her close, cradling the child in her arms as she turned to face the night. She heard Delphini's frightened whimper and looked down at the babe in her arms. The child could sense that her mother was restless, and although she was too young to fully understand what was happening around her, Delphini sensed that this war was about to come to a tragic end.

Her mother's voice faded into oblivion, her face becoming something she saw only in her dreams, and every morning when she awoke that pitiful bird was still there, moaning and wailing into the late hours of the night.

She wanted to strangle that disgusting creature, silencing its cries once and for all. She approached its cage, ready to hex it with whatever spell she could think of when Euphemia approached her from behind, seizing her by the ear and dragging her across the carpet.

"Just what do you think you're doing, young lady? Get away from there! Nasty little girl. Always causing trouble wherever you go."

Delphini screamed, struggling to free herself from this wretched woman. This caused the augurey to launch itself into the air, screeching and thrashing as it beat its wings against the sides of its cage. It were as though this creature could sense the strength within her, as well as her potential to change history if she was given the opportunity.

Euphemia lead her over to the corner, forcing her to sit down in a chair while she attempted to calm her precious pet.

"You see that?" Euphemia exclaimed, the poor augurey still moaning as she reached inside the cage and stroked its head. "It knows what's going to happen to you. It keeps crying because it knows your fate, and that you're going to come to a sticky end just like your parents did."

The little girl frowned, remembering the sense of unease she felt the night before the war. Perhaps they were alike in that they could sense what the future had in store. But she'd be damned if she let some droopy vulture decide her fate. She was the daughter of a sacred union, a coming together of the darkest forces known to man. And when she predicted that someone would die, she knew her prediction would come true because she would be the one to end their life.


	7. Chapter 7

_Day 6 - Reveal_

 _Pairing - Albus/Scorpius_

She revealed herself to them, the tattoo on the back of her neck giving her away. His best friend didn't see her for what she was. He wasn't there. He didn't witness the horrors Scorpius had seen.

Albus was still conversing with her when the cloak slipped, dangling from her shoulder as the grey material slowly slid down past her collarbone. She was unaware of what she was telling them, speaking without really hearing herself, her focus on the minute object in her hands.

"It reminds me that the future is mine to make," she murmured, still entranced by the time turner.

Scorpius didn't care about being a king in the alternate reality. He willingly chose to change history, restoring it to the way it was before. But it wasn't for the sake of putting right everything that they'd done wrong. It was more than that. He remembered the shock he felt at seeing Albus vanish from his side, the terrible sense of loss now that his friend was gone. Part of him wanted to make things right so that Delphini and her parents didn't go on to create a world of darkness, but more than anything else he wanted to see Albus again.

Her head down, a smile slowly creased the corners of her lips as she looked at them from beneath trailing strands of silver and blue. Scorpius moved back into the shadows, placed his hand on Albus' shoulder. Like the bird on her back, he was ready to take flight, then all at once he was forced to run, giving Albus a tug to show the clueless boy that he was to follow, to escape, to run for their lives from this twisted child born from the burning stars in the sky above.

She was faster than they were, and within a matter of seconds they were bound, the luminous cords shining in the darkness that surrounded her. She loomed over them, laughing insanely just like her mother would if she were still alive. And all he could do was catch a glimpse of Albus' terrified expression before the world turned dark and she whisked them away to another place and time.


	8. Chapter 8

_Day 7 - no prompt_

 _Pairing - Voldemort/Delphini_

"I am the new past. I am the new future. I am the answer this world has been looking for."

Time stood still, a cold wind swirling around her as she held her arms out at her sides. She threw her head back and laughed, a mirror image of her deceased mother as her cruel laughter rose on the wind. She was truly the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange, the offspring of Lord Voldemort, the one meant to lead them back into the darkness.

The hourglass was broken, as she clung to the wings of the augurey. She plunged her hand into the shadows, pulling pieces from the sands of time. All that was lost remained trapped in shards of glass, as she carefully discarded that which she did not want, eliminating it from history.

The earth trembled beneath her feet. Time was moving faster, the world rushing by as images from the past collided with the future. And suddenly he was there, reaching from the shadows to take her by the hand, waiting to take her home.

"Father."

The word left her in the form of a whisper as she approached him. But this wasn't the dream she had long ago. Reality embraced her, and she entered a world of her own design, free to rule at his side, to laugh and feel warm rivulets of blood spilling down her fingers as mudbloods writhed in torment at her feet. This time she would be successful. There's no one left to stop her.

She couldn't help the tears that sprang from her eyes as she felt his warmth surround her. She waited so long for this moment. And all that she had prayed for, night and day, had finally become a reality.

His strength continued to grow with time, as the augurey unfurled her wings, enveloping the earth as shadows spread across the plains. One by one fires erupted on the surface of the planet, burning out the impurities, casting them aside to let their ashes dance upon the wind.

This is their world now. The augurey perched upon a burning throne, watching as her father cast aside those who were unfit to serve him. She was both a blessing and a curse, a nightmare birthed from the heavens. She remembered where she came from and the world she left behind, as always, a keepsake of the stars.


End file.
